Jeff Midkiff is mandolin virtuoso based in Roanoke, VA. He’s also a clarinetist, and between reed and strings, he has performed with opera companies and symphony orchestras. And that is symphony orchestras, plural: Milwaukee, Knoxville, Shreveport, Champaign-Urbana, Jacksonville, Williamsburg, Northwest Florida, Southeast Texas, Ohio Northern, and Cal Poly Symphony Orchestras, the Rochester and Boulder Philharmonics, and the Yale Concert Band. And speaking of Yale, they gave him their Distinguished Music Educator award in 2017. It was for his work as a music educator and Orchestra Director for the Roanoke City Schools – Midkiff holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a Masters in clarinet performance.